Photos and commentary about my commute from suburban Kansas City, North to rural Ray County, Mo., plus the occasional detour to Wiggleroom, U.S.A. The emphasis is on all things beautiful, funny or profound: nature, farming, animals, music, local quirks, customs, assorted roadside oddities and random insights, which about covers it, doesn't it?

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Friday, January 6, 2012

Pigeons on the Square: They survive, rule the roost and get in some people watching

You may remember a post a while back about the city of Richmond putting an end to a New Year's Day pigeon-shooting tradition on the square. That was back in the day, the day when newspapers didn't have color photos. That was quite a while ago in pigeon or human time.

But frankly, it didn't take a municipal ordinance (or enforcement of the existing one against shooting guns in the city) to ensure the survival of these plump lid'l pluckers.

They were deemed a nuisance back then, but when it comes to minor annoyances maybe acceptance is the golden road to happiness. The pigeons weren't going anywhere no matter what we humans tried, and this puffy fellow and his comrades are about the only residents left on the square, human, commercial or otherwise.

I saw this one sticking his head in and out of a broken window pane in the old bank building on the corner of Main and Thornton. He'd pop out, I'd take a picture, and then he'd duck back in. He could've been a she; maybe there was a nest inside. I have no idea what the nesting/hatching arrangements are in the pigeon world, and for all I know it's the male who sits on the eggs. Or maybe there were other shenanigans going on inside. I could've sworn I saw feathers flying. Whatever the case, this pidge seemed to like watching the traffic and other happenings around the square. Maybe he wanted to make sure he didn't miss the next parade or veterans' program; or maybe he was keeping tabs on other members of Richmond's survivalist pigeon community. Whatever the case, I was rewarded with a photo for being patient. So hang in there big fellow. Mushroom Festival's just five months away.

Frankie

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